When Hertz relocates its headquarters to a new $68 million campus in Estero, Fla., south of Fort Myers, its approximately 700 employees will enjoy breezy views from the third-floor cafeteria. The cafeteria will accommodate hundreds of diners or could host an international webcast for all employees at a moment's notice, said Richard Broome, executive vice president of corporate affairs and communications for Hertz.

It's part of an effort by some of the country's more recognizable companies to make employees' mealtimes a much more pleasant experience.

Some corporate offices such as Google in Silicon Valley, Bloomberg in New York and FactSet in Chicago even offer free food or snacks in their facilities, according to Business Insider.

Hertz will break ground later this year on its new headquarters and expects to complete the building in 2016. The cafeteria in its existing Park Ridge, N.J., headquarters is on the bottom floor and a little more isolated. "Nice space, good food, but it's not been thought through in the way we want," Broome noted.

Other Southwest Florida corporations have been thinking like Hertz. They've replaced staid staples and cramped quarters for spacious and bright lunch rooms with made-to-order sandwich and wrap bars. Some have added healthier dining options on-site that more closely resemble chic, fast-casual cafés.

It's a worthwhile investment to keep employees happy, and offers a handy choice while maintaining productivity and efficiency, said Nate Swan, group vice president of sales at Gartner Inc. in Gateway.

"We aren't that kind of company that looks and says you took two hours or a one and a half-hour lunch," he said. "Employees don't punch in . . . but when they can eat here and do it in a casual setting, with nice food and they feel comfortable doing it, I think they become more productive."

Since Gartner moved into a new 120,000-square foot complex in February 2012, its cafeteria operates more like a fast-casual restaurant and a corporate meeting and training room rolled into one.

Bright orange and blue plastic chairs are grouped around banquet-size tables, with seats for about 200, but with room for up to 550 employees.

There are hot and cold buffet items, made-to-order food stations and a smoothie and coffee bar. Grab-and-go items, such as Sabra hummus and pretzel chips, Naked smoothies and Glaceau vitamin water, rest in refrigerated display coolers. Each wing on each floor of the building boasts a kitchenette with a home-size fridge, microwaves and a coffee station with free Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

Fresh fruit is available for free at the start of the day, hot breakfasts can typically cost around $2 or $3 and lunch averages between $4 and $6, Swan said.

Apart from quality and affordability, the modern cafeteria inspires teamwork, said Christian Holden, a business development executive at Gartner.

"When people ask me about Gartner and the cafeteria, I say it's like a college common without the college," he said. "We talk shop a lot simply because of the environment that we have."

The Chico's headquarters off Metro Parkway in Fort Myers has 12 buildings on its campus, three of which offer cafeteria services, said Adam Hinds, vice president of national store support center operations.

It has about 1,800 employees spread over 540,000 square feet of office space. The company contracted with Sunshine Cafe Inc. for its food services and started offering salads and cold sandwiches seven to eight years ago, but has expanded its programs over the years.

It has the Melting Pot Café with hamburgers, pizzas, other hot dishes and a salad bar. The Viva Verna Café, next to its fitness center, is health conscious offering a salad bar, wraps and other sundry items.

At Café 10, in building 10, the company builds paninis, crafts cold sandwiches and fresh salads, such as the Mount Fuji — a bed of field greens and mesclun mix, smoked turkey, red onions, bacon, mushrooms, pecans and tomatoes with sundried cranberries and Gorgonzola crumbles dressed in a pinot noir shallot vinaigrette.

While dining options are often available nearby, companies are finding quality dining in-house is important because it keeps employees communicating and collaborating all day, Broome at Hertz said.

"The whole idea of the building is that we want to encourage as much openness, transparency and collaboration as possible," Broome said. "We felt that one way to do that was to create a dining space to fit into those objectives."